If you’re a clinician who’s tired of staying late at the clinic, bringing charts home, or sacrificing your lunch just to catch up on documentation—you’re not alone.

Documentation burnout is one of the top contributors to job dissatisfaction and work-life imbalance for health care professionals today.

Fortunately, new tech tools are offering a way out. Enter AI medical scribes—artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can save you so much time charting!

AI medical scribes are designed to streamline the note-taking process, allowing you to focus more on your patients and less on sacrificing time in the evenings and weekends.

For anyone new to utilizing an AI medical scribe, keep reading. You’ll learn four practical and strategic tips to help you get the most out of your AI medical scribe so you can chart more efficiently, reduce after-hours work, and finally feel like you’re back in control of your time.

What are AI medical scribes?

AI medical scribes are an innovative, AI-powered solution designed to alleviate the administrative burdens of health care clinicians by streamlining the documentation process.

AI scribes listen to the patient and provider during the patient encounter. The AI medical scribe utilizes advanced natural language processing (NLP) to automatically capture, organize, and document patient encounters in real time. The information is then populated into a SOAP note format so the clinician can copy and paste into their electronic health record (EHR) systems.

AI medical scribes ensure that clinicians can focus more on patient care while decreasing the amount of time spent charting. Which means you have your evenings and weekends free from charting, so you can do more important things!

I have been using an AI scribe for about 1.5 years in my primary care practice. I love that I get to focus on what the patient is saying and trust that the AI is writing chart notes for me! It has helped me save approximately 3–5 minutes per patient.

Which means if you are seeing 20 patients a day, that is an extra 60+ minutes a day you don’t have to spend charting! This is a game changer, allowing clinicians to spend their personal time relaxing and recharging.

1. Choose the right AI scribe for your clinical setting

Not all AI medical scribes are created equal. The first step to success is selecting a scribe that aligns with your clinical workflow and documentation style. Here are a few topics to keep in mind when choosing which AI medical scribe is right for you.

What to look for in an AI scribe:

• EHR integration: There are two types of AI medical scribes: those that integrate into an EHR and those that don’t. The AI scribes that integrate into the EHR are user-friendly and take fewer steps to use. However, it does come with added cost and more time and effort to get set up. Some AI medical scribes do not currently integrate into the EHR but allow you to copy and paste into your chart note. These AI medical scribes are less expensive and can be used right away.
• Specialty-specific features: Some AI scribes are better suited for primary care, others for urgent care or psychiatry. Look for one that understands the basics of charting in your specialty area.
• Speech recognition quality: If you’re in a busy or noisy environment, make sure the scribe can handle background noise and multiple voices. Some AI medical scribes detect other languages such as Spanish. The AI technology is then able to transcribe Spanish-speaking clinic visits into English written notes.
• Privacy and compliance: Always verify HIPAA compliance and data security features. The AI medical scribe should be safe to use in your practice setting.

Pro tip: Many AI medical scribes offer a free trial! This allows clinicians to test how it fits into your current documentation flow before committing.

2. Stay engaged in the visit—let the AI write the SOAP note

My favorite thing about using an AI medical scribe is that it frees you from having to type while the patient is talking. This improves patient interaction and allows you to focus on what the patient is saying, instead of staring at a computer screen.

Tips to maximize in-visit efficiency:

• Position your recording device strategically: Make sure the microphone can clearly pick up both you and the patient. I have found that most AI medical scribes do well with transcribing even thick accents.
• Speak naturally and clearly: Make sure to speak how you usually talk with a patient! AI medical scribes do well with picking up medical terminology and medications (even with those patients that mumble).
• Verbalize each section of the SOAP note: Please note that in order to abstract each section of the SOAP note, you will have to verbalize the content. For example, if you want the AI to capture that you reviewed past labs, say it aloud: “Reviewed labs from 5/12 – all within normal limits.”

By staying present in the visit and trusting the AI medical scribe to capture the essentials, you create a better patient experience while cutting down on documentation time after hours. It’s a win-win!

3. Always review and edit before signing off

While AI medical scribes can produce high-quality documentation drafts, they are not 100 percent perfect. You are still legally and ethically responsible for the accuracy of your notes. Make sure to review the AI-powered chart note before signing it off within the EHR.

How to review and finalize your notes:

• Use a post-visit workflow: As soon as I walk out of the clinic room, I push the “End Visit” button. Within 1–3 minutes, the AI medical scribe populates my chart note. I then spend a couple of minutes reviewing the chart note for accuracy and then sign the note off in my EHR.
• Check key sections: Focus your review on the assessment, plan, and any areas of potential liability or nuance (like decision-making around referrals or imaging).
• Make it sound like you: Customize the tone or phrasing to match your professional style. Many AI medical scribes can learn your style of charting and specific preferences. You can even create customizable templates to reflect how you like your notes written.

Using AI medical scribes can cut documentation time by 50–70 percent, but it’s still essential to ensure that every note meets your clinical and legal standards before you sign off.

AI medical scribes are the future of health care

If you’re a health care provider who feels like documentation is taking over your life, you owe it to yourself to explore the benefits of using an AI scribe. These tools are designed to support you—not replace you—and when used effectively, they can transform your workflow, reduce burnout, and help you reclaim your time.

Let’s recap the three essential tips:

• Choose the right AI scribe that matches your clinical workflow.
• Stay focused on the patient and let the AI do the heavy lifting with note-taking.
• Always review and edit before finalizing your chart to ensure accuracy.

By following these tips, you’ll not only save hours each week but also improve the quality of your clinical interactions and your own work-life balance. And who doesn’t want the best of both worlds?

Erica D, the NP Charting Coach, is a family nurse practitioner and the creator of The Nurse Practitioner Charting School. She specializes in helping overwhelmed nurse practitioners improve their charting skills, enabling them to achieve a better work-life balance and finally stop charting at home! She can also be reached on YouTube and Instagram.

Erica has partnered with Freed, an AI medical scribe. After incorporating Freed into her own practice, Erica was impressed by the technology’s accuracy and its ability to save clinicians significant time on charting. Learn more about Freed here: https://getfreed.sjv.io/m5kY2M, and feel free to use the affiliate code NPCHARTING for $50 off your first month!